Locking pin having pivotal locking ring



Sept. 22, 1959 B. FISHER 2,905,044

LOCKING PIN HAVING PIVOTAL LOCKING RING Filed March 14, 1956 INVENTOR.

B'AXTER FISHER United States Patent LOCKING PIN HAVING PIVOTAL LOCKINGRING Baxter Fisher, Springfield, Oreg. Application March 14, 1956,Serial No. 571,422

3 Claims. (Cl. 85--8.1)

This invention relates to improvements in locking pins and particularlyto locking pins for drawbars of the threepoint hook up type used ontractors and the like.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a lockin pin that caneasily be applied to a bearin and easily removed therefrom without theuse of tools or the like.

Another object of the invention is to provide a locking pin that issimple of construction and of such a design that it will not shake looseor out of the bearing being keyed and that unskilled labor can replaceor remove easily.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the followingspecification when considered in the light of the attached drawings, inwhich:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the invention shown attached tomechanism on a differential housing of a conventional tractor,illustrating how the drawbar is journalled to the journal bearing and islocked thereon by the locking pin.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary horizontal section of the journal and aportion of the drawbar showing the locking pin in place, taken on theline 2-2 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view, taken on the line3--3 of Figure 1, looking in the direction indicated.

Figure 4 is an enlarged side elevation similar to Figure 1, except thatthe locking pin is in position for either placing or removing the samefrom the journal pin.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of a modified structure formingthe counter-Weight on the locking ring.

Referring now to the drawings in detail wherein like reference numeralsindicate like parts throughout the several figures, the referencenumeral indicates generally the diflferential of a tractor. Afragmentary portion of a drawbar is indicated at 11, and is adapted tobe journalled on a journal pin 12 by a bearing sleeve 13 which formspart of the drawbar 11.

This invention consists of a locking pin 14 which is adapted to passdown through an opennig 15 formed in the journal pin 12. The upper endof the locking pin 14 has an eye 16 formed thereon through which alocking ring 17 operates.

The locking ring 17 includes a circular portion 18, having an openU-shaped loop 19 extending radially outwardly therefrom with a largerclosed loop 20 also ex tending radially outwardly therefrom incircumferentially spaced relation to the loop 19. The loop 20 acts as a2 counter weight and handle to rotate the ring 17 while the openU-shaped loop 19 is adapted to clear an end 21 of the locking pin 14while applying the pin 14 through the opening 15 of the journal pin 12.

A thumb screw 22 when desirable may be provided to project through theeye 16 and clamp against the ring 17 in some installations for lockingthe ring in the position shown in Figure l.

The operation of the improved locking pin 14 will now be described. Thebearing 13 of the drawbar 11 is placed over the journal pin 12, next theU-shaped loop 19 of the ring 17 is brought in alignment with the end 21of the locking pin 14 and pivoted in the eye 16 to a position extendinglaterally from the pin 14. The locking pin 14 can then be dropped downthrough the opening 15 of the journal pin 12.

After the pin 14 has been lowered into the opening 15, the ring 17 ispivoted to the position shown in Figure 4 in alignment with thebifurcated end 23 of the locking pin 14, the loop 19 passing over theend 21 of the pin, aligning the circular portion 18 of the ring 17 withthe bifurcated end 23 of the locking pin 14.

The operator then rotates the ring 17 using the loop 20 as a handle tothe position shown in. Figure 1. This will place the circular portion 18within the bifurcated end 23 of the locking pin 14 so that the samecannot become disengaged therefrom. The weight of the handle portion 20being effective in maintaining the ring 17 in this position under normalconditions, but if it is desired to additionally lock the ring 17 inthis posittion the thumb screw 22 can be tightened down against the ring17. Additional weights may be added to the loop 20 if desired, althoughI have found that the weight of the loop 20 itself is of sufiicientWeight to hold the ring 17 in locked position under normal conditions.

Referring to Figure 5, I illustrated by dotted lines the position of anadditional weight to the loop 20. This additional weight is indicated bynumeral 24.

Having thus described the preferred embodiment of the invention, itshould be understood that numerous structural modifications andadaptations may be resorted to without departing from the scope of theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A locking pin comprisin a cylindrical body and a rigid ring, saidcylindrical body having an eye extending through one end thereof withits axis substantially perpendicular to the axis of said body, said bodyhaving the end opposite said eye bifurcated to form a slot havingparallel side walls extending parallel to the axis of said eye, saidrigid ring extending through said eye and through said slot, said ringbeing freely movable through said eye and said slot, a radiallyoutwardly extending integral U-shaped loop formed in said ring, saidloop extending outwardly from said ring to a point beyond the bifurcatedend of said body when aligned therewith and having the sides thereofspaced apart a distance greater than the diameter of said body, saidring when engaged in said slot forming a head for said body at the endthereof opposite said eye with said ring being rotatablecircumferentially in said eye and said slot to a position aligning saidloop with said body for disengaging said ring from said slot to permitrotation of said ring in said eye about the axis of said eye, and meanson said locking pin for normally 'inaint'aining said loop out ofalignment with said body.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said last named means includesa substantially closed integral loop extending radially outwardly fromsaid rin at a circumferentially spaced point from said first loop toprovide a handle for rotating said ring with relation to said body, saidnormally closed loop being weighted to normally maintain said first loopin a non-aligned position with respect to said body.

3. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said last named means includesa set screw threaded into said body and extending into said eyetoreleasably clamp said ring against movement therein.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Bonner Dec. 8, 1891 Knight Mar. 28, 1893 Pitt Dec.22, 1914 Williamson Nov. 27, 1917 Strickland July 11, 1933 Joyce Oct.27, 1936 Annis Aug. 21, 1956 FOREIGN lATENTS Austria Sept. 25, 1899

